


Fodlan Idol

by JDKoopa



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Competition, F/M, Love Confessions, Singing, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26243149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JDKoopa/pseuds/JDKoopa
Summary: Mercedes encourages Annette to enter a singing competition. At auditions, she meets Felix, a vocal coach for the competition, and joins his team.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic & Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9
Collections: Felannie Mini Bang 2020





	Fodlan Idol

**Author's Note:**

> Felannie Mini-Bang fic!!! I worked pretty hard on this one so hopefully it turned out alright! A little bit of a slow burn with some cameos by other Garreg Mach students but I tried to make the end goal apparent pretty early on. Hope you like it!

Annette looked around nervously. “Mercie, this is pretty crowded. Are you sure this is a good idea? I’m not even that talented!”

Mercedes smiled encouragingly next to her. “Of course it’s a good idea Annie! You’re better than you give yourself credit for. Besides, you’re already here, so why not see it through?”

Annette took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. When Mercedes had told her about the singing competition, Annette had been excited! She had always loved singing, ever since her mom had sang lullabies to her as a child.

Now though, seeing all these people, Annette’s tummy was full of the jitter critters. “It’s just, I don’t normally sing in front of, you know… people. Normally it’s just plants, or books, or sometimes steaks and cakes and -”

“Annie!” Mercedes cut her off with as stern a look as she could muster. “Your voice is beautiful. You shouldn’t be shy about that. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been so outgoing and strong-willed. Yet, when it comes to singing, your one true passion, you’re suddenly this nervous, sweet little girl.”

“You’re right.” Annette took another deep breath, and closed her eyed. She exhaled slowly, opening her eyes, replacing doubt with courage. “Let’s go Mercie, it’s time for my audition!” And with those words, Annette stepped confidently forward.

Unfortunately, she didn’t realize there was a small step down in front of her, and she fell down, scraping her hands as she caught herself on the hard ground.

“Oowwwww shoot.” Annette groaned, standing up and looking at her hands. They weren’t scraped very badly, at least. The real damage had been to her pride. She looked around, hoping no one had seen her, then blew on her hands.

“Annie, are you okay?” Mercedes said behind her. Annette turned to thank her for the concern, but Mercedes was stifling a laugh. After a moment, Annette realized why.

“Oh, haha, very funny. If you’re done making stupid song references, would you mind getting out the first aid kit I know you always carry with you? I’d like to put some antibiotic spray on my hands.” Annette wanted to be mad, but Mercie looked so apologetic while she rooted around in her bag. After a moment, she procured the spray Annette had asked for.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Really though, are you alright? That looked like a pretty hard fall.” This time Mercedes was showing genuine concern.

“I’m fine, just embarrassed. I was already nervous enough, and then this had to happen.” Annette whined as she sprayed the antibiotic onto her hands, rubbing them together gently. The cool spray stung her hands, but Annette knew that only meant it was working. “I can do this. I’m already here. I just have to walk in with my head held high!”

“That’s the spirit!” Mercedes cheered her on as she put the spray back into her bag. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll make it past the audition, so don’t be nervous.” Somehow, that didn’t exactly encourage Annette.

“Mercie, would you explain to me again how you even found out about this?” Annette handed her ID to the security guard at the doors, who scanned to make sure she was on the list, and then waved her through.

“Sorry to interrupt, ma’am, but I’ll be needing your ID as well.” The security guard asked politely, holding out a hand to receive Mercedes’s ID.

“Oh, that’s alright, I should be on the list. Sylvain Gautier has me down as a guest, Mercedes Bartels?” The security guard raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. For a moment Annette was afraid Mercedes would have to wait outside, but after he checked his list, the guard stepped aside and motioned her in.

“Good luck today ma’am. And you,” he said, looking at Mercedes. “You may need more than luck.” Mercedes giggled, then locked arms with Annette and walked inside.

“What was that about, Mercie?” Annette asked, puzzled. Mercedes looked at her for a moment, as if she didn’t know what Annette was talking about. “With the guard? And being on some sort of ‘VIP list’ for this?”

“Oh, did I not tell you? I’m sorry, I must have forgotten. Sylvain Gautier, my new boyfriend, you remember you met at the St. Cichol party? He was the one with the red hair and that silly grin?”

Annette nodded slowly. “You mean the one who asked me if I wanted to go out for a drink because ‘I’m so thirsty and you’re a glass of crystal clear water’? What’s he got to do with this?”

“Well, he happens to be a music producer, and this year he’ll be a guest producer on the show! He’ll be around during the show to listen and give some feedback during the contestants’ stay, then toward the end of the season he’ll actually be working WITH the contestants! Isn’t that exciting?”

“Wow! How did you meet such a big producer?” Annette looked at Mercedes incredulously, her eyes sparkling as she waited for the answer. Mercedes laughed, then shrugged.

“I think I’ll keep that to myself for now. It’s not nearly as romantic as you’re imagining, and I’d hate to ruin whatever image you have.”

Over the next couple of hours, Annette kept trying to get Mercedes to tell her about Sylvain. What was he like? What music had he produced? Mercedes was very selective with her answers, but promised that she would be more forward with any answers another time. Finally, just when Annette started to get bored of waiting…

“Contestant 4482, Annette Dominic! You’re up next, make sure you’ve warmed up.”

“Oh, it’s your turn Annie! I’m so excited, do you need anything?” Mercedes put one finger on her lips and looked at Annette thoughtfully. Then, she smiled and wrapped Annette up in a big hug. “Good luck Annie! I’ll be waiting for the good news.”

Annette blushed, but returned the hug. Then, she went to prepare for her audition. She got a drink of water and ran through a couple of quick warm-ups before being called into the audition room.

“Annette Dominic?” Someone said as she entered. She looked up to the panel, doing her best to smile despite her nerves.

"Yep, that's me!" She twirled a little bit, tilting her head to the side and letting out a little nervous laugh.

“We’re glad to have you here today. Can you tell us a little about yourself?” The speaker was a young woman, probably in her early twenties. She smiled kindly, which made Annette feel more comfortable.

“Well, I’m Annette, but you already knew that I guess. I’m from a small town in Faerghus, and I love to sing. My dad left when I was young, but my mom always sang me lullabies when I was a kid.”

Annette looked at the other judges. Sitting next to the first woman was a dark haired man around the same age with a scowl plastered to his face. At first, Annette thought he was angry with her, but she soon realized he was annoyed with the judge sitting on the other side of him, a man with olive skin who was trying to quietly put what appeared to be a salt packet into the dark haired man’s water. Annette almost gasped when she recognized the final judge, Sylvain Gautier. He winked and smiled at her, but said nothing.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father. It’s good that your mom raised you with music, though. Whenever you’re ready, sing something for us.” Annette nodded, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her heart pounded in her chest, distracting her slightly from the song she was supposed to be singing. It was supposed to be a slow, intimate song, yet the rhythm of her heart drove her to sing it much faster, making it brighter and more exciting than she had intended.

When she finished singing, Annette slowly opened her eyes. The judges were staring at her with blank expressions on their faces, “Thank you, that’s all we need today.” Sylvain spoke up for the first time since Annette entered the room.

“What? But, I prepared another piece. Did I do something wrong? I know I sang the song a bit fast, but I can do better, really.” Annette began to panic. She had been so excited, but in the end her nerves had gotten the better of her.

“Annette.” The olive skinned man cleared his throat. “We discussed this while you were singing, and there is simply no need for us to hear your second piece. We’ve heard everything we need to for now.” He paused, and Annette thought her heart was going to explode. Her hands were shaking and she could feel sweat running down her neck. Finally, after an agonizing wait, the man smiled. “The vocal coaches can decide what to do with you in the main round of auditions. Congratulations on making it through to the next round.”

Annette froze, then realized her vision was getting blurry. She smiled and muttered a quick “thank you” between sobs. Behind her, the door flew open and Mercedes came running in to hug her.

“I told you you’d make it Annie! You’re gonna do amazing!” Mercedes wiped a tear off of Annette’s cheek, then gave her a hug. The dark haired man approached them and handed them a sheet of paper that contained all the information they would need for the audition in front of the coaches, before finally showing them a smile.

“Congratulations. We look forward to the chance to work with you in the future.” He gave a small nod, and Annette thought she saw the hints of a smile on his lips. That smile vanished as he turned and saw the olive-skinned man holding an empty salt packet. He sighed as he returned to his seat.

“So,” Mercedes said as they left the audition venue. “Where should we go to celebrate?”

“Wherever we go, I want to call Ingrid and tell her how the audition went.” Annette smiled at Mercedes, then pulled out her phone and dialed Ingrid’s number, asking her to meet them at a restaurant nearby to celebrate the day’s victory.

____________________________________________________________________________

_ring ring, ring ring_

“Hello, you’ve reached -”

“You finally answered! I’ve been trying you for 5 minutes now.” Sylvain said with fake sadness in his voice.

“What is it, Sylvain?” The man on the phone answered. He sounded exhausted, but Sylvain was used to that by now. “And it had better be important this time. I was working.”

“Oh, don’t worry, this won’t take long. We just finished the first round of auditions, and there are some interesting contestants. Maybe you can find someone to take your place so you can live a little, or even someone you can settle down with?”

“Don’t count on it Sylvain. I have a lot of work to do, if someone is going to take my spot here they’ll have to be very capable.” The man sighed, and Sylvain knew he was pinching the bridge of his nose. “As much as I would love to focus on my work without this distraction, I don’t think someone will come along that’s good enough.”

Sylvain laughed. “I know, I know. I just want you to keep an open mind. It’s been too long since we went to town for drinks and got in trouble hitting on ladies at the bar. Besides, you haven’t even met my new girlfriend yet.”

Felix chuckled this time. “What’s the point, you’ll have a new one next week?”

“This one is different!” Sylvain said, surprising even himself. He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. “This isn’t about me, though. I’m worried about you overworking yourself. Promise me you’ll at least think about what I said.”

“Fine, I promise. Can I go now?”

“Yeah, that’s all. I’ll see you for the main auditions.”

_Click_

“Will contestant number 4482 step forward please?”

Annette nervously approached the stage. After the first round of auditions, she should have felt confident, but now she wasn’t singing in front of just a small panel, and she didn’t know one of the judges.

“Young lady, would you like to introduce yourself?” The emcee smiled broadly at her as he extended his handheld microphone in her direction. Before the audition he had introduced himself as Alois, and Annette knew he was rather friendly. That didn’t make the situation any less intimidating.

“Um, I-I’m Annette Dominic. I’m here because my friend told me I should, uh, give this a shot since I love singing.” Annette shifted her weight back and forth nervously, unable to focus on any of the judges in particular.

“Well, there you have it! We’ll hear more about this young lady if she makes it to the next round. For now, let’s see if she can show us that great things can come in small packages!” Alois stepped offstage and Annette approached the microphone stand, which was center stage with a spotlight. She adjusted it to her height, then gave the band a cue that they could start playing.

As she performed, Annette wondered what the judges were thinking. As she locked eyes with the judge on the right side of the panel, she noticed that he was scowling. Was she doing that badly? She tried to remember what Alois had told her about the judges. This one must be Felix, the one Alois said was the hardest to please.

As she continued singing, she stopped focusing on the judges and let herself be lost in the music. She became more comfortable, even taking the mic off the stand and walking around the stage with it, which earned her some cheers from the other hopeful competitors who were watching from the audience. She felt good. She could do this.

Before she knew it, the music was ending. She realized she was out of breath, and her eyes were misty. The song she had chosen was a little more serious than the ones she normally sang at home, and since this was the first time she was singing in front of a real audience she must have been more emotional than she had realized.

“Wow! Ladies and gentleman, let’s hear a great round of applause for Annette Dominic for that stellar performance!” Alois joined her on stage, putting an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her in a friendly hug as the audience gave her a standing ovation. “Alright judges, you must have some thoughts for her. Let’s hear them.”

“That was beautiful. Such raw emotion on display from the very start.” The man on the left, who had peculiarly purple hair, spoke first. He smiled as he leaned into the microphone attached to his table. “You have a lovely voice, it’s surprising we haven’t heard of you before. I would love to help you make sure everyone knows your name by the end of the competition.”

“You definitely have the potential to go far here.” A slightly older woman spoke up. Her makeup was layered on a little thicker than Annette thought it needed to be, but she was attractive in her own way. “You must have had lessons of some sort, no?”

Annette was quiet until Alois nudged her, and she realized she was supposed to answer. “Oh, um, no ma’am.” She blushed, and wrung her hands behind her back. “My mother sang to me when I was a child and I’ve just been singing with her for as long as I can remember.”

“A true prodigy then!” The woman exclaimed. “You’ll be one to watch in this competition I think, and how better to watch you than by having you on my team?”

“I wouldn’t mind having you on my team, either, if only I was in charge of one.” A woman not much older than Annette said. “Your voice is innocent and pure, yet there’s a strength behind it. You really warmed up to the stage as well. While I won’t have a team, I will be working with each of the contestants in some capacity, so I’m sure we’ll get some time together.”

“Th-thank you, ma’am.” Confidence blossomed warmly in Annette’s chest. The judges really liked her! At this rate she would be able to pick any of them as her coach.

“I’m not impressed.” Annette looked at Felix, who’s scowl had not disappeared. His dark hair was tied back in a ponytail, revealing a small, red hoop in his left ear. “You were too timid at the start of the number. On top of that, you were pitchy throughout the whole thing. You have potential, sure. However, the fact that you’re an amateur is painfully obvious. You have a lot of work to do if you expect to win.”

“Are you saying you don’t want her on your team, Felix?” The purple haired man asked, sounding almost as insulted as Annette felt.

“Not at all. She is welcome to join my team if she thinks she can handle my criticism.” Felix shrugged casually, as if he were talking about training a dog a new trick and not the future of a competitor on the show.

“Well then, Annette, it looks like you have free choice! Which of our fine judges will you pick?” Alois took a couple steps away so Annette would be alone in the spotlight. Now that she wasn’t caught up in the music, her nerves were returning. She noticed that each judge’s name was displayed in lights in front of them.

The first judge on her left was the purple haired man. His lights read “Lorenz” and he was dressed in a purple suit. He looked very elegant. He probably spent a little too much time getting ready in the morning, but overall seemed like a nice, capable person. Annette knew he would be a good coach, but she wasn’t sure if she could handle working with him if he was going to be so proper all the time. She wanted to have some freedom after all.

Next to him, the woman with too much makeup was waving at her with a big smile plastered on her face. Apparently her name was Manuela. The way she spoke, she must have had experience in the music industry for a long time before coming to the show. Annette was a little nervous about working with someone who had real experience. On the other hand, maybe that was the push she needed?

The third judge smiled warmly at her. The lights in front of her read “Byleth.” She looked friendly enough, and clearly enjoyed the performance. No matter who she joined, Annette would get to work with Byleth. She breathed a sigh of relief, since Byleth was the one who made her feel most comfortable, but she wasn’t sure the woman could push her enough if she were the only one working with her.

Annette was getting ready to choose Manuela when she remembered Felix in the fourth seat. He was the only judge who hadn’t praised her performance. Instead, he pointed out the flaws, and refused to be impressed by anything less than the best. He was young, maybe a year older than Annette, so it was unlikely he had much experience. Where did that confidence come from?

Annette turned to face him. Even though he had extended an invitation for her to join his team, he was hardly paying attention to her at all. In front of him, he had several papers, Annette thought they must be audition forms from the various applicants already on his team. He ran a hand through his hair as he studied the papers, jotting down notes on their strengths and weaknesses.

“I’ll join Felix’s team!” Annette said confidently. That confidence wavered when she heard her words out loud, but she had made up her mind. Lorenz and Manuela gave Felix a dirty look, but Byleth nodded her approval of the decision. Felix looked up, as if he was seeing Annette for the first time. He examined her from head to toe, then accepted a paper that had to be Annette’s application form and began making notes.

“Not too shy after all!” Alois boomed, his voice echoing through the auditorium. “I, for one, am excited to see what growth Felix can pull out of you. He may be young, but his brutal criticism can make or break the contestants on his team. Let’s have one more round of applause for this firecracker everyone!”

The audience roared with applause, and Annette saw Mercedes standing and pointing at her, clearly claiming to know the girl bold enough to join the harshest judge. Alois guided her backstage so that the next contestant could audition. “You did great out there, young lady. Someone will be with you shortly to show you to a waiting room where you can relax and talk with your friends and fellow contestants.” With that, Alois turned back to the stage to introduce the next singer.

Annette sat down on a chair backstage. Crewmembers were rushing around her, talking into headsets, jotting things down on clipboards, and generally trying to keep things moving smoothly. On the stage behind her, she could hear a young woman’s voice that was so smooth and refined Annette was almost jealous. This was her competition? What was she doing here?

“Hey! You sounded great out there!” A large blonde man approached her smiling warmly. He was wearing blue jeans and a flannel shirt that was just a little too tight for him. “I really loved your song. My name’s Raphael. You’re Annette, right?”

Annette smiled, happy to have someone to talk to. “Yeah! Thanks so much, I’m happy you liked it. Are you a competitor here too?”

“Yup! My pal Ignatz wanted me to audition. I told him I’d rather be at home working so I can provide for my family, but he said ‘Raphael you HAVE to audition, you have a gift!’ and eventually he convinced me.” Raphael laughed loudly, and one of the crew came and told him to keep it down. After a quick apology, Raphael turned to walk away. “I think I’m up next, wish me luck! Hopefully we’ll get to spend some more time together!”

“Good luck, Raphael!” Annette waved at the friendly man. She hoped one of the judges would take him, he seemed so nice. After he left, someone led Annette to the aforementioned waiting room, where Mercedes was waiting.

“ANNIE!!! You did great! And you picked Felix? I was so surprised!” Mercedes squeezed Annette in a tight hug, then led her over to a bench where they could sit and talk. “So, why Felix? Do you think he can push you the most? Or maybe…” Mercedes paused for a moment, looking at Annette intently. “Is he cute?”

Annette blushed. “M-Mercie, please! I wouldn’t put the entire competition on the line just for a cute boy. No matter how pretty his brown eyes are or how his black hair makes him…” Annette realized what she was saying and shook her head. “I mean, no. I picked him to challenge myself!” Mercedes laughed and Annette buried her face in her hands.

“I believe you, Annie!” Mercedes said after a second, putting her hand on Annette’s back. “Sylvain is a close friend of Felix’s, so I know a little bit about him. He’ll be good for you.” She hugged Annette, then stood up. “I’m going to watch the other auditions so I can see your competition. Congratulations on making it through!”

As Mercedes walked away, Annette took a deep breath. She had come so far. Now, she would have a real vocal coach to help her through each round. Since she had come this far, she might as well win the whole thing.  
____________________________________________________________________________

_**Two weeks after auditions** _

“Mercie help what do I do?” Annette was practically crying when she called Mercedes. “I’m so embarrassed, I can’t believe that just happened!”

“Annie, take a deep breath. I can’t help you if I don’t know what happened.” Mercedes stifled a laugh. Normally this kind of call ended in Annette realizing everything was fine and Mercedes got to be a hero.

“I was at the vending machine getting a drink, so of course I was singing my vending machine song. I finally picked it and turned to go back to my room and he was THERE!” Annette waited, as if everything had been explained.

“Who was there, Annie?” Mercedes asked, confused. Annette had started living at the apartments provided by the competition two days ago and had called the first night to say there were a lot of people.

“Felix! I was singing that silly song and I turned around and he was just looking at me! I just know he was judging me, I’m so nervous. What if he marks it in his notes and tries to drop me from his team?”

Mercedes couldn’t keep from laughing this time. “Annie, I’m sure you’re making a bigger deal out of this than it is. If you’re singing in your free time I’m sure he appreciates that. He also gets to hear your voice more and can help you better, right?” Annette sniffled on the other side of the call. “Don’t worry about it, I’m sure he won’t judge you about it, and if he does you can only get better.”

“Thanks Mercie, you’re the best!” Annette wiped her cheeks. “I should go, it’s almost dinner time. I’ll call you tomorrow!”

**Meanwhile**

“Sylvain, you remember when you called me and said some of these contestants would be interesting? What do you know about Annette Dominic?” Felix was pacing in his room, his heart beating faster than it had any reason to.

“Annette? Oh, that’s Mercie’s friend! She’s great isn’t she? I bet Manuela will have a field day with her, you should watch out.” Sylvain paused for a second. “Is there a reason you were asking about her?”

“Well, she’s actually on my team. I thought this during her audition, but I just heard her singing again in the hall, and… well her voice. It’s mesmerizing.” Felix felt his face get warmer and realized he was smiling.

“Oh, well this is an interesting development! You got the hots for her?” Sylvain laughed, and Felix made a mental note to smack him the next time they were together. “Honestly, I don’t blame you. She’s special. You should definitely act on it after the show’s over, but until then be careful. We wouldn’t want a scandal going around about favoritism among the contestants, now would we?”

“Shut up. It’s fine, I just thought she had a pretty voice. That doesn’t mean anything. It’s my job to help her develop her voice so of course I’m focusing on it.” Felix was speaking more to himself at this point than to Sylvain, but try as he might, he couldn't quite convince himself that it was really as simple as he was saying it was.

“Whatever you say, man. Just do me a favor. Don’t mess this up. Mercedes will cut my head off if she finds out you hurt Annette.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. I gotta go, dinner’s ready. Don’t forget you’re helping out in 2 months, I’ll see you then.” Felix hung up without letting Sylvain respond. “Someone I could settle down with, huh? I have been focussed on work a lot lately, I guess this could be exactly what I need.

“Alright everyone! Let’s hear a big round of applause for your final three contestants!” Alois gestured to the final three as the audience roared. People cheered and clapped, and signs were held high in support of the crowd favorites who had made it this far.

Annette blushed when she saw Mercedes and Sylvain in the front row with a big sign that read “If Annie-body can win, it’s Annette!” Next to them, Annette recognized Raphael’s boyfriend, Ignatz. He was blushing and holding a sign that read “Give them Raphae-hell!!!” which made Annette giggle.

“Now then, are you all ready to hear who our guest producers will be as we go into the finals?” The cheering stopped and a hush fell over the room.

“For Team Lorenz, we’ve got a rising star. He arrived on the scene several years ago and took Fodlan by storm, and has produced several albums that made it to the top of the charts. Ladies and gentlemen, Claude Riegan!”

Annette recognized Claude from her first audition. He was the olive skinned man who had told her she made it past the first round. He was wearing a standard dress suit, except his shirt was black, and his vest and tie were gold, and in place of a jacket he wore a half cape.

“I have been watching this competition with excitement, and let me just say that each person who has graced this stage has done an excellent job. You all have bright futures as long as you keep music in your hearts.” Claude said, smiling with such charm that there seemed to be a collective desire to run up and hug him.

Claude turned and approached Raphael, the last person remaining from Team Lorenz. “I was especially impressed with you, Raphael. You have no formal training, and by looking at you I thought surely you would be a deep, powerful bass. However, I think I speak for everyone here when I say the delicacy with which you display your voice, and the care you give each phrase of each song you sing, has truly surprised us. I am excited to work with you in a real studio. Is there anything you’d like to say to all your fans out there?”

Raphael was on the verge of tears. “I can’t believe I made it to the finals, I’m just a guy from a small town, who was always happy to do my work and take care of my family. I would never have made it this far without Lorenz coaching me, or the friends I made along the way supporting me. Most of all though, I’m just happy my boyfriend has been with me through this whole thing. I love you Iggy, thanks for encouraging me to take a chance.”

Annette watched Ignatz hide behind his sign, and she knew he must be sobbing. Raphael’s sister pulled some tissues out of her purse, then continued cheering for her brother. Raphael may have been a big, excitable guy, but he sure was a softy.

“Our next guest producer is a young man known for his blunt critique and perpetual scowl. No, it’s not Felix.” The crowd roared, but Annette saw Felix glare at Alois and start standing up before Byleth put a hand on his arm to hold him back. “This young man is one of the coldest in the industry, but he gets results. Let’s have a round of applause for Hubert Vestra!”

Hubert walked on stage, and Annette was surprised to see him smiling. Unlike Claude’s flashy attire, Hubert wore a plain black suit with a single red rose. “Thank you Alois. While I don’t agree with Claude often, he said it best when he said that everyone on this stage has a bright future. It is our job as producers to help them reach their full potential. Dorothea, as the last remaining member of team Manuela, I plan to take you to the top.”

Dorothea Arnault stepped forward to stand next to Hubert. “Thank you, Hubert. I look forward to working with you. This competition has shown me that there are many great people and great musicians in the world, and I am so lucky to be a part of this group. I hope that we can all remain friends even after the competition” She looked back to Annette and smiled, and Annette nodded in agreement. Then, Dorothea turned to Raphael, who picked her up in a bear hug, prompting a high-pitched squeak from Dorothea.

“Of course we’ll stay friends! I have to show you around my hometown and take you all to my favorite restaurants!” The crowd roared with laughter, and Raphael put Dorothea back on the stage. She smiled and returned his hug before handing the microphone back to Alois.

“Well, we certainly have a lot to look forward to with this group don’t we?” Alois chuckled. “Moving on, we have one more producer to introduce. Ladies, you all know him. Men, you all hate him. A man who needs no introduction, Sylvain Gautier!”

A combination of cheers, boos, and several “We love you”s and “call me”s erupted from the audience as Sylvain walked on stage wearing a baby blue suit. Annette noticed a couple girls in the front row swooning, and she couldn’t really blame them. No matter what he wore, somehow Sylvain always looked good. Maybe it was his unearned confidence.

“Hello everyone! Now I know some of you may have had personal encounters with me in the past, but this show isn’t about me. It’s about the three people standing behind me. They’ve worked so hard to get here, and I’m beyond excited to be working with Annette Dominic. I think she has what it takes to be a real star, and I know we all want to see what happens between her and Felix when she’s no longer a contestant, right?”

This time Felix didn’t let Byleth hold him back. He stood up and took a couple steps forward while the crowd cheered behind him. “Listen here Sylvain, I’ll-”

“Oh relax, Felix. It’s mere speculation. Of course there’s nothing going on between you and Annette, right?” He winked, and Felix’s face turned bright red as he went back to his seat. “In any case, Over the next two weeks we’ll be working with these three contestants to produce an original song that will air as their first single, but that’s not all. We’ll have them each perform that single live along with a piece performed with their coaches.”

Alois cleared his throat and Sylvain quickly walked over to Annette. “Alois can explain more about that, but for now let’s hear from Felix’s last contestant, Annette Dominic!”

Annette felt her heart beating in her chest. Dorothea and Raphael each smiled at her, and she stepped forward. “I could never have made it this far without my best friend Mercedes. She pushed me to audition, and has pushed me every step of the way to not give up. I’d also like to thank my mom for always singing to me when I was younger, and helping me understand what a gift a simple song can be. And Felix, you’ve been a wonderful coach. I know I’ve been difficult to work with at times, but your guidance has helped me be not only a better singer, but a better person.”

The crowd went wild when Annette finished speaking. Someone in the back shouted “Kiss her” and Annette saw security quickly approaching that section of seats. She blushed and handed the microphone back to Alois, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

“Well there you have it everyone! These are your final three, and these are their producers. Come back in two weeks for our exciting finale, where you’ll get to see our esteemed judges perform with their contestants, and hear three new singles. Until next time!”

The crowd roared as Alois led everyone backstage. Once they were out of view of the audience, Dorothea pulled Annette into a tight hug. “Ooohhhh Annie I’m so excited! I’m happy we both made it to the finals. Promise me no matter what, we’ll still be friends after the results?”

“Of course, Dorothea! You’ve been so great to me over the last several weeks, I wouldn’t dream of ruining that over a stupid competition.” Annette looked over at Raphael and gestured for him to join them. “That goes for you too, big guy. You and Iggy have to come visit soon!”

“Of course! I can’t wait to see what kind of restaurants are in your home towns.” They all laughed, then waved goodbye as their producers led them to their separate cars that would take them to the studios.

“Well, Annette, you finally made it! How does it feel?” Sylvain asked when they had settled in for the ride.

“Exhilarating! I never thought I would actually make it to the finals, and now I get to work with Mercie’s boyfriend! I’m so excited!”

Sylvain laughed. “I’ve been pulling for you the whole time. Say, I have a question. What do you think of Felix? He and I go way back, and I’ve been worried about him lately. He’s so focused on his work, sometimes I think he doesn’t know how to relax.”

Annette thought for a moment before responding. “Well, he definitely is a hard worker, but he’s dependable. Whenever I had a question, he was available with an answer. I even called him at three in the morning once because I couldn’t sleep, and he stayed up and talked with me for a couple hours until I was finally tired.”

Sylvain smirked. “Oh? That’s nice of him. I wonder though, why did you call him instead of Mercie? Have you developed a bit of a crush on him?”

“W-what? M-m-me? Crush on him? No! I would n-never!” Annette stumbled over the words as she felt her face get warm. A crush on Felix? There’s no way. He was just her coach, it’s not like she liked the way he looked in her eyes, or how his voice could calm her anxiety. When she had been unable to sleep she called him because she knew he would still be up working and she didn’t want to bother Mercedes, right?

It was true that they had been growing closer over the course of the competition, and had recently even gone out for dinner several times. Had she been more nervous than normal when she was picking out what to wear, or when he opened the door for her?

“My mistake then!” Annette was shaken from her thoughts by Sylvain’s voice. “In any case, we’re here now! Welcome to my studio.”

Annette followed Sylvain inside and was overwhelmed at how much stuff there was. Sound mixers, multiple recording rooms, a kitchen. There were even some musicians recording what sounded like a jazz album in a studio room nearby.

“Don’t worry, once we’re in our room we won’t hear any of that. All you have to worry about is listening to my direction and singing your heart out.” Sylvain smiled reassuringly and led her into a small room with a microphone and a pair of headphones. “Put those on and I’ll tell you what to do when I get set up.

Annette spent the next few hours singing for Sylvain so he could get some ideas of her full vocal range and what style would fit her best. During that time they talked about how the competition had been, and Annette told him about the day to day stress she had dealt with.

One week, she lost her voice and had to be on vocal rest for three full days! During that time, Felix had spent a lot of time taking care of her. He had cooked for her, kept her company, and one night he had even brought a movie for them to watch. Annette apparently fell asleep during it, because she woke up on the couch with her head in his lap, and he was still asleep.

“He looks more peaceful when he’s asleep. Almost serene, like the stress of the world finally isn’t his to bear.” Annette said, and Sylvain laughed.

“You really hit the nail on the head with that one. I keep telling him to pass off some of his work and find someone special to him. I’ve never seen him go out of his way for anyone as much as he’s done for you, though.”

Annette blushed, then started thinking again about what Sylvain had said on the ride to the studio. Did she have a crush on Felix? He had definitely proven her initial impression of him wrong. He was a sweet, honest man, driven by passion and his own ideals. Her heart raced whenever he was near. Maybe she did like him.

“Alright Annette, that’s enough work for today. I’ll call you a ride to take you back to your room, I have a little more to do here.” Sylvain walked her to the door and wished her a good night. She stayed up late thinking about Felix, and when she looked at the time she realized it was after midnight.

“Maybe I should call him and talk about this. But what if he doesn’t feel the same way? I mean sure, the media has made remarks about us secretly dating, but i never took it seriously. He looked mad when Sylvain joked about it though, what if he doesn’t like me?” Annette paced in her room for several minutes, then finally decided to just go to bed. As she was drifting off Annette heard her phone ringing, but she was finally falling asleep and was too tired to answer it.

When she woke up, Annette saw that she had a missed call from Felix. “Oh no! What if it was important?” Annette decided to call him back after she had eaten and showered.

“Felix! I’m so sorry I missed your call last night.” Annette said when Felix answered the phone.

“It’s nothing to worry about. I just wanted to see how your first day in the studio was.”

“I-it was fine! Nothing really happened, we did some work and I left. Why do you ask?”

Felix didn’t say anything for a moment, and when he finally spoke again he sounded nervous. “Sylvain called me after you left last night and said you had talked about your time here, and he mentioned that he thought I should ask you out. I told him that would be unprofessional and that I didn’t want to annoy you in any case because I’m sure that’s not why you came to this competition. I hope I didn’t overstep at all there though.”

“Oh.” Annette tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. So he didn’t feel the same after all. “No, that’s fine. I’m not here to find a boyfriend, so you didn’t lie.”

“I see.” Felix cleared his throat. “Well, Sylvain can be a handful sometimes, so don’t let him get to you. I’m looking forward to hearing what you put together with him.”

“Thank you. I’ll talk to you later, bye.” Annette hung up and sat back on her bed. She felt cold and numb. Felix had been so kind to her, and she had stupidly thought that maybe they could be together, but he obviously didn’t want to be with her. And why would he? He could probably be with anyone he wanted, and she was just some girl with a decent voice that showed up to an audition.

Annette let herself sit there for a few minutes, then left for the studio. She and Sylvain worked on the song for the rest of the week, then spent the next week recording it. During that time, Felix stopped by 3 times. He didn’t make eye contact on any of his visits, and barely spoke to her.

“Well, looks like your song’s finished! Are you excited to perform it tomorrow?” Sylvain asked, handing her a recording of the finished piece. He smiled mischievously. “I know Felix was here a couple times, but I didn’t let him hear any of the final product, so he’ll be really surprised with what we’ve got here.”

“I don’t think he’ll care. He made it pretty clear that I’m just another contestant to him.” Annette couldn’t hold back anymore. “Why did you make me realize I like him? I couldn’t even tell him, I was too scared to call and then he shut me down before I could admit it.”

“What? Annette, I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know-” Sylvain started, but she cut him off.

“No, you didn’t know. So you should have stayed out of it.” Annette took a deep breath. She knew Sylvain hadn’t meant to do anything to hurt her. “I’m sorry. I just… I really thought he would care. I guess I liked him more than I realized.”

“Annette, you’re a beautiful, talented woman. You shouldn’t be afraid to tell him how you feel. After the finale tomorrow, win or lose, you won’t be a contestant anymore. He won’t have any reason to lie to you. If you tell him how you feel then, you’ll find out once and for all if he feels the same way. If you want , you should talk to him then.” Sylvain put a hand on her shoulder, and raised her chin gently with his other hand. “Right now, you just get ready to blow everyone away with this song of ours tomorrow. Knock ‘em dead.”

Annette smiled and gave Sylvain a hug. “Thanks Sylvain. I can see why Mercie likes you so much. You should know, if you hurt her I’ll end you.” She heard him swallow the lump in his throat, and started laughing. “It’s fine though, I can tell you really like her. Thanks for all your help, I’ll think about your advice. See you tomorrow!”

“Well folks, we’ve had a good time here these last two nights haven’t we? Our judges’ performances with their contestants certainly blew us away, and the solo performances last night that you all voted on were nothing short of spectacular. On top of that, it’s clear we can expect great things from Raphael and Dorothea if we can learn anything from their two singles, or should I say their double?” Alois chuckled at his joke, but everyone else remained quiet except for one person in the crowd who laughed with him.

“In any case,” Alois said, clearly disappointed that his joke didn’t go over, “Our final contestant is ready to share her single with us before the results of all your votes are made public. Here to debut her single ‘All Those Silly Songs’ for us, Annette Dominic!”

The spotlight dropped on Annette, a soft blue light that went perfectly with the deep blue dress she wore. The pianist began playing a sweet melody, light and slow. Annette began singing her song. It began as a ballad, with slow, deliberate lines. She looked at Felix as she was singing. “And all those silly songs I sang, would they mean nothing in the end?” The music picked up slightly, building. The rhythm changed from a straight time ballad into a syncopated, upbeat Jazz.

Annette smiled and let herself come alive as the lights danced around her. “I’m nothing in the end, if I’m not all those silly songs.” She held the last note, feeling the dissonance resolve into harmony, and when the stinger hit she let herself fall into a bow. The crowd roared in applause, but Annette didn’t care. She looked straight at Felix, who was smiling at her. He gave her a thumbs up, and she smiled back before standing up and joining Alois and Dorothea and Raphael, who had walked out on stage after Annete’s song was over.

“Annette that was amazing!” Dorothea said, jumping with excitement. “You really left it all out there!”

“Yeah, that was so great! I’m happy I got to be here for your song, I bet they’ll play it a lot!” Raphael said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Wow! Let’s have another round of applause for Annette! And for Raphael and Dorothea too!” Alois let the applause go on for a couple minutes before he spoke again. “Alright everyone, all three of our contestants have worked hard to get to this point. We have the results of your votes, and they were very close. With 31 percent of the votes, in third place… Raphael Kirsten!” Raphael stepped forward and took a bow, smiling as wide as he ever had.

“Thanks so much for the opportunity and support everyone! Follow your dreams, and don’t be afraid to be yourself!” The audience roared with applause, and Raphael took two more bows before stepping back to see who won.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen. The difference in first and second place was only 1 percent of the votes. Your winner, and next Fodlan Star…” Alois paused for several seconds. The tension in the room was obvious, and everyone was silent. “Dorothea Arnault!”

Dorothea looked at Annette, trying to contain her excitement. Annette understood how she felt, and gave her a hug. “Congratulations. Go celebrate! Don’t hold back for me.” They locked eyes for a second and a tear rolled down Dorothea’s cheek before she nodded and stepped forward.

“Thank you so much, everyone! I hope I can live up to what this means, I know either of these two could be standing here instead of me right now. Thank you so much for the opportunity!” Manuela and Hubert joined her on stage, and Hubert even let her hug him and cry since it was a big moment.

“Thanks everyone for joining us this year, and we hope you’ll all come back next year.Until then, take care!!!” Alois called out to all the fans, and then led the contestants and judges offstage.

“Raphael!” Annette saw Ignatz and Mercedes coming backstage. “You did great! I’m so proud of you. Are you ready to go home?” Raphael nodded, then turned to Annette and Dorothea.

“I’ll miss you. Congratulations Dorothea, make sure both of you keep in touch.” They both nodded as Raphael took Ignatz’s hand and left to go home.

“Dorothea, we should probably head out to get some photos.” Manuela said. “Are you ready?”

“Oh, of course!” She turned to Annette. “Sorry, Annette. I had hoped we could talk more but it looks like I’ll be busy for a while. I’ll call you when I can though! Promise!” Dorothea gave Annette another hug before following Manuela and Hubert out into the crowds of people.

“Annie!” Mercedes finally took her turn to hug Annette. “Second place! I know you would have rather won, but I’m so proud of you!”

“Yeah, you did great. You nailed that last piece, too.” Sylvain put his arm around Mercedes’s waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek before turning back to Annette. “Have you given any thought to what we talked about?”

Annette nodded firmly. “I have. I think I’ll give it a shot.”

“Well, good luck. Mercie, I just remembered I have something to show you, let’s go.” Sylvain guided Mercedes away, then gave Annette a wink over his shoulder before vanishing from sight.

Annette looked at Felix. They were the only ones backstage, since the rest of the crew was still wrapping up the broadcast or greeting the fans. “So, um… Thanks. For helping me get to this point.”

Felix nodded. “Of course. You picked my team, I couldn’t very well let you fail. Besides, you’re talented. You did this on your own, be proud of your achievement.”

Annette was having a hard time making eye contact with Felix, and her hands were trembling. Why was she so nervous? She just performed for thousands of people, but telling one stupid boy she liked him was this hard? “F-Felix?”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember when you told me Sylvain thought you should ask me out?” Annette looked up from her feet, but couldn’t look further up than Felix’s chest.

“Of course. I said it would be unpro-”

“Just wait!” Annette squeaked, and Felix stopped talking. “You were right. I didn’t come here to meet someone or fall in love. But sometimes, even when that’s not what you meant to happen, it can happen anyway.”

Felix didn’t say anything and Annette started to get nervous. Finally, he took one step forward and asked a question.

“What are you saying?”

Annette took a breath to calm herself. “I’m saying that I fell in love with the way you made me feel calm when I was nervous. I’m saying I fell in love with the way you took care of me when I wasn’t feeling well. I’m saying…” She finally locked eyes with Felix. “I’m saying I fell in love with you, Felix!”

They stood there, staring into each other’s eyes for what felt like forever. Annette didn’t know what to do. Felix wasn’t moving, he wasn’t saying anything. Maybe she really had overstepped. She looked down. “I’m sorry. I just thought you should know. I won’t bother you anymore though, the competition is over and I can head home and you can forget this ever happened.” Annette started turning to leave, trying to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. “Goodbye Fe-”

Felix grabbed Annette’s wrist and spun her around. She was about to ask what he was doing, but suddenly his lips were pressed against hers. He wrapped his arms around her gently, and she draped her arms over his shoulder, pulling him in closer. After a few seconds, they pulled away.

“I thought you didn’t care…” Annette said, unable to stop smiling. Felix was staring at her. His usual scowl was nowhere to be seen. In its place was a sweet, innocent smile, and cheeks almost as red as Annette’s hair.

“Annette, I’ve cared for a long time. I just didn’t think that you would - that is to say I thought maybe. Whatever, it’s not important. Sylvain was right, I need to learn to relax and find someone to settle down with. I love you Annette, I’m ready to take a chance, and I want to take that chance with you.” Annette leaned in and kissed him one more time. “Can I take that as a yes?”

“Of course, dummy.” she laughed, and they kissed once more before leaving to join Sylvain and Mercedes, who had, of course, been watching the whole thing through the door that Sylvain had left partially open.


End file.
